Season Tickets - Attendance Mandatory

As a blow in bandwagon supporter of a successful Irish province, I want to set up a topic to discuss season tickets. I've had my season ticket for Leinster for a number of years now but one of my biggest gripes relates to the empty seats of season ticket holders. Leinster had c.13,500 season tickets for the season just gone, and are expected to be in a similar territory for the coming year. However, for a number of ML games this year the total attendance was less than this;
Dragons 10,390
Aironi 9,790
Treviso 10,236
Scarlets 11,976
Glasgow 12,318
I know total attendances will include one off tickets and also travelling support but I would expect that allowing for 500 people to have last minute delays meaning they can't catch the game, Leinster should be getting 13,000 bums on seats for every game.

Everyone enjoys a free game or a cheap night out. I know if I can't make a game I have 3-4 people who will happily snap up a free Leinster game and because of that my seat is never empty for a game. I used to think this was an obvious thing to have, and everyone would do it but this doesn't appear to be the case.

Should OLSC or the people renewing tickets include a little kicker to promote season ticketholders to have a someone in their seat for every game during the season? Could something like, €10 off the season ticket price if you use your ticket for every game, or €5 off the season ticket price if you only miss 1 game, be introduced? If it was, an extra person walking here means another body to sell a programme to, sell a pint to, snacks, drinks, merchandise, etc and also a better image for the tv footage making those watching think it would be good to be there enjoying the atmosphere live! And that person getting going to the 1-2 games in a season may in turn become a regular attendee in their own right down the line. Very little investment, plenty of upside.

Am I off point altogether, or do others think this also?

How about if you let them know you won't be attending they can sell your seat and give you half back,win win all round I think.

asoreleftshoulder wrote:How about if you let them know you won't be attending they can sell your seat and give you half back,win win all round I think.

Nice idea but a logistical nightmare.

I think its a good idea (the OP one) but how easy is it to monitor it?

Also, are stadiums full every match bar the season ticket empty seats? If not, then its surely not going to make that much difference to the atmos?

How about each season ticket holder must attend / have another in their seat for 80% of matches or they can't renew? It would be easy to implement. A card/ticket could be zapped at each match.

As for the selling/renting of the seat i think that's something the ticket holder should organize. The club could set up a meeting space online to help but selling tickets twice would require another employee otherwise.

Punishing a season ticket hold for not attending games is not a good idea. It will lead to resentment and people who can't commit to being there taking the safe option and not buying season tickets.

I think there should be incentives for those who attend, rather than punishments for those who stay away.

Why the hell should season ticket holders be forced to attend every game?
What a barmy idea... clubs are lucky for any season ticket holder they can get their the most commited supporters! clearly they will attend every chance they get as theyve paid for the seat already. Secondly if a season ticket holder sells his seat for a game he cant attend hes taking money away from his club because the person should really of bought a ticket from the club instead.
Some clubs have a really hard time getting season ticket holder, their support should be encouraged not penalised, lol.

I missed a few big games this season because I was too ill to leave the house. I would rather have been there, but shoite happens. Biarritz and Leinster the only two games I missed; life's a bitch ain't it? Two of the biggest sides to visit Ravenhill last season. I'm not TOO keen to give out my season ticket either- It's just a card and if lost, the UB won't replace it to the best of my knowledge. I'll always try and get a ticket to somebody if either me and my auld fella can't go; this year I got Stag into the Munster game with my auld fellas ticket.

Basically, with a season ticket, you make the commitment to pay up front regardless of how the teams playing or whether there are internationals on the pitch or transfers or weather... you deserve the benefit of the doubt.

I do think there is a problem with Munster and Leinster in that season ticket holders buy to have the chance of getting tickets for the Heineken Cup games. It's a real issue. Ask Gibson- he knows

But the thing is, those games you cite with significant season ticket holders absent are the ones people can get tickets for. It's not that they are absent whilst others who would like to go can't.

I think it may be slightly different with Munster than Leinster. For example,it would be pointless for me to buy a season ticket for Thomond Park as I will only get there maybe 3 or 4 times a season. However I usually try and avail of the musgrave park option as I know I will make every game there. I do buy a Cork City season ticket and if I can't go (happens a lot!) I will try and offload it to someone else.(they have a benefit scheme where you can get free or discounted items based on attending so many games)

I'm with Alyn on this, I missed two games last season, one being the Christmas Scarlets game the other a vital Heineken game, both huge in Ospreys language. I missed them because we were snowed in, so
A) couldn't get out
B) unable to pass my card on ( not a great idea).

So if the region decided to punish those who fail to attend every game, here's one nutter who wouldn't buy.

Intotouch, your 80% idea is quite dangerous. I made it to 12 out of 14 Ulster games last year, and the 2 I missed I was devastated to miss but I was simply too ill to leave my bed never mind my house. That means I went 86% of our home games. I actually went to one game in that period which was a mistake as I was far too ill to really enjoy it. Had I done the sensible thing and stayed home I would have been to 79% of games.

Nevermind the fact I went to all the pre-season friendlies, and haven't missed a game in the previous three seasons. My record prior to this season would be 100% for a few years. And yet I would lose the right to renew my season ticket?

Do you think any business is silly enough to penalise the people who invest in them upfront.
They wont be bothered in how many games you go to they have already had your money.

Cymroglan wrote:Do you think any business is silly enough to penalise the people who invest in them upfront.
They wont be bothered in how many games you go to they have already had your money.

^ Thats what i was trying to say but I wasnt clever enough to word it like that

But I'm not approaching this idea with a view to penalise season ticket holders. I want to put an incentive out there that if they know they won't get to a game, which in a lot of cases the person will know days if not weeks before hand. And I'm also not saying that the season ticket holder should be looking for money/face value less/etc as if they aren't going to attend the game, the seat will be empty anyway. There is always going to be a mate at work, at college that would definitely snap up a free game. And the couple of quid incentive to the ticketholder of a little discount on the next years renewal could easily be recouped with a extra person at the ground with cash in there pocket to have a pint/programme/good time.

On people not being comfortable handing over their season ticket to a mate/brother/sister, I know at Leinster the woman who is usually in front of me emails her details to her son and the leinster ticket office with some statement like she is away/can't attend, has her season ticket with her but requests/authorises the ticket office to print out a match ticket for her son to collect when he is going in her absence. Think he pays about €5 for reprinting charge but it sounds like a very handy option.